Sheffield Wednesday are in the midst of a financial crisis after failing to pay their players on time for the last three months in a row and the first teams squad have now taken matters into their own hands
Sheffield Wednesday players have reportedly refused to play their friendly clash against Burnley after they were not paid on time for the third straight month
Sheffield Wednesday‘s crisis has taken a new chaotic turn as players refuse to play their final pre-season friendly against Burnley this weekend – after the club failed to pay them on time for the third month in a row.
The training match has been cancelled on the same day new manager Henrik Pederson took over as the new manager, just days after the departure of Danny Rohl. There will now be concerns over Wednesday’s Championship opener against Leicester City on August 10 amid a turbulent period for the club amid their perilous financial position.
The club has already been charged by the EFL with multiple breaches of its financial regulations. They are already under a transfer embargo and they face a points deduction – heaping huge pressure on owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has come under fire from fans and even local politicians in Sheffield.
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The EFL charge was in relation to Wednesday’s failure to pay players on time following delays in March and May. There was also a delayed payment in June.
A raft of players have left the club this summer, with Josh Windass and Michael Smith ending their contracts, joining the likes of Akin Famewo, Callum Paterson, Mallik Wilks, Pol Valentin and Michael Ihiekwe in leaving on a free transfer.
Even captain Barry Bannan is in danger of leaving and there is real concern for Wednesday going into the new 2025-26 season after players decided to scrap their Burnley clash.
Wednesday have just over 10 days until they face the Foxes in their league opener at the King Power and new manager Pederson faces a huge task to keep the team in the division – especially if they receive a punishment from the EFL in the coming weeks.
Dejphon Chansiri has had a chaotic ownership of Sheffield Wednesday(Image: Getty Images)
Chansiri’s leadership has been slammed by a number of leading figures, including Sheffield South MP Clive Betts, who recently hit out his “abject failure” at Hillsborough after reports that the team’s North Stand was not safe for use.
“This is yet another abject failure of Chansiri who is unable to competently run Sheffield Wednesday,” said Betts. “This is just the most recent issue in a host of problems he has brought and failing to recognise and address. Chansiri clearly has no idea what he is doing with the club and should just move on and sell to an owner that will actually care about the club and its fans.”
Former Wednesday owner Milan Mandaric has also sought to intervene in the crisis after claiming the club risks being “destroyed” by Chansiri and offered to buy the Owls back off him.
“I am going to definitely try to see him [Chansiri] with my people and be very straight in telling him that he is going to destroy the club unless he lets new people like me get involved,” he said.
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